Color Me Beautiful With This Fabulous Antique Felt Steiff Rooster

Bird's the word with this next Steiff inquiry. A collector friend with a great eye just added this fine feathered friend to her Steiff hug. His coloration and form are simply outstanding! Julie shares, 

 

"I just got this adorable little felt Steiff rooster! I am excited to know more about him and to learn when he was made. The closest I can find to him in the Sortiment is on page 546, which is a little rooster on a wheeled platform. The colors are exactly the same. Mine is about 10 cm high, and that's accounting for him being bent over a bit. If he had a button would it have been in his tail? He has a rusty old pin stuck in his side which is interesting. His tail is in really great shape, I don’t see any potential holes for a button in it. Was there maybe something with the style of feet and legs or tail to distinguish him from the very early 1892-1905 production? I see some may have had felt covered feet. The seller said that his great grandmother was born in Austria and brought this rooster with her to the US around 1900 or a little later."

 

This fantastic find wins Steiffgal's admiration with flying colors! What we have here is one of Steiff's earliest commercially successful legacy animal patterns. This classic, full bodied standing felt rooster was produced for the standard line in 12, 22, 29, and 35 cm from 1892-1929 overall. Very similar patterns were made on eccentric wooden wheels in 12 and 22 cm from 1917-1929 overall; as a tumbling 17 cm version on a weighted wooden hemisphere from 1894-1918; as an 8 cm pull toy on a wheeled wooden cart from 1916-1919; and as the kingpin in a set of hen skittles from 1894-1914 overall. 

 

What makes this pattern so exceptional, and so timely, is its materials and form. In terms of fabric, Margarete Steiff launched her company in the late 1800s; she initially specialized in producing felt items including garments, functional pockets, and household items. Felt material was readily available and relatively easy to cut and sew. When she started to produce animals a few years later, Margarete discovered that felt also translated perfectly into feathers when precisely cut, layered, and placed in cascading natural hues. In terms of form, Steiff's turn of last century product development was based on "everyday" animals - those farm, field, and forest animals that folks in Giengen would come across on a regular basis. As such, this particular rooster pattern is practically a time capsule example of Steiff's earliest commercial production. 

 

Given its popularity, Steiff's felt rooster pattern appeared in the line in one form or another for nearly 40 years. As such, it can be challenging to exactly date any given example. The felt supplied for this item certainly had some natural variations in color and quality over time; this can account for minor differences in product appearances. Many artisans cut and sewed this rooster over its four decade long appearance in the catalog; because of this, variations in size, presentation, and button placement are also expected. For the most part, older versions of legacy items have a more distinctive, handmade, and organic look to them than their cousins produced a few years or decades onward. Julie's example has metal feet and legs which are wrapped in string to finish them. This detailing is seen on many of Steiff's earlier birds from the turn of last century, as well as on some smaller and/or baby birds through the 1920s. 

 

Given these factors, and that his original family can date him to the very beginning of the 20th century, it is Steiffgal's best thinking that this example might date from the pre-button period (i.e., produced before 1904). Also supporting this age guesstimate is the fact that there is no indication anywhere on the rooster of a small hole where a button may have been placed originally. Steiffgal has seen a Steiff button inserted in the tail feathers, waddle, or comb of the company's early felt rooster and hen production. She also thinks that Julie's bird is most likely a 12 cm version that was either made a little on the small side or which bent or shrunk a little over its nearly century and a quarter existence. 

 

Here's one final point about this barnyard buddy. Interestingly, is possible that this pint-sized rooster was used at one time as a pincushion. This would make sense given his size and materials, and may explain the rusty pin found in his side! And/or, it is possible that this pin could have been used during his production in Giengen and never removed by accident... but only he knows for sure!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this antique felt rooster has you crowing about Steiff's earliest production. 

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

This Rare Steiff 50th Anniversary Booklet Is Worth Its Weight In Gold!

It's easy to celebrate all things Steiff! Steiff introduced the world to its fully jointed Teddy bears in 1903. In honor of the golden anniversary of this accomplishment in 1953, the company designed and produced an entirely new and novel Teddy bear design. It was named Jackie and she was made in 17, 25, 35, and 75 cm from 1953-55 only.

Collectors could bearly get enough of Jackie. For many reasons - including her charming appeal, airbrushed belly button, pink-highlighted nose, and short time in the line - Jackie remains one of the most beloved Steiff bear designs of all times. Accompanying Jackie was a small celebration booklet, which told the history of the company in words and pictures. To find a mid century Jackie bear in very good condition with IDs is a dream come true for many collectors; to find one with this original booklet is practically unheard of!

But sometimes wishes do come true, at least in part. Steiffgal recently had the pleasure of finding one of these original Jackie booklets for sale, and was delighted to add it to her Steiff ephemera collection. The piece itself is very small - measuring 10.5 cm x 7.5 cm closed, or 10.5 cm x 15 cm opened up.  There are 14 total printed pages, and all words are in German. The booklet is bound by one staple. It is printed on paper which has most likely mellowed to a tan color over time. Let's take a peek into this time capsule and see what secrets it might hold about the company we all know and love. 

You can click on any of the pictures of the spreads to make them bigger on your screen!

Here is the front and back spread of the booklet. As you can see, the cover features the delightful Jackie bear, complete with her special anniversary chest tag. It is interesting to note that she is pictured without her Steiff button or ear tag. The front reads, "a small teddy travels in the wide world," probably in reference to Steiff's humble beginnings which progressed to international standing and recognition. The back very roughly translates to, "This is the story of the Teddy bear with the button in ear by Margarete Steiff GmbH."

Featured on pages 2 and 3 of the booklet are two iconic Steiff images.  The first is of company founder, Margarete Steiff.  The other is of the two very distinctive church steeples which are the prominent features on the Giengen horizon - even today. The headline of the spread reads, "The history of the Teddy bear." 

Pages 4 and 5 are graced with the headlines, "At the beginning was a small felt elephant" and "Richard Steiff, the inventor of the teddy bear." The illustrations include a small grey felt elephant, which was Margarete's first "toy," a picture of her in her wheelchair hand sewing something, and a handsome headshot of Richard Steiff. Richard, Margarete's nephew, came up with the idea of the fully jointed Teddy bear after studying how real bears move and interact at a local zoo.  

The next pages - 6 and 7 - are dedicated to 1903, the year Steiff Teddy bears really went global. The headlines roughly translate to, "In New York from 1903 onward" and "The Leipzig Fair debut in 1903." The page is illustrated with a skyline of New York City, an early and very fuzzy Steiff Teddy, and a man hammering shut a wooden crate, presumably filled with Steiff Teddy bears heading to the USA. This page most likely references how 3,000 early Steiff bears were ordered by an American distributor (The George Borgfeld Company of NYC) at the 1903 Leipzig Fair. The whereabouts of those Teds have been lost to time. This mystery is still ongoing today.  

Pages 8 and 9 are all words. Given the headline, which translates to "Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt gave him his name," these key passages probably explain why Steiff's Teddy bears from Germany were branded after the famous American President. Roosevelt refused to shoot a baby bear cub on on a hunting adventure in Mississippi at the turn of last century.

Next up on pages 10 and 11 are a charming series of illustrations featuring Steiff's "Nimrod" bears. Like Jackie, the Nimrod bears were produced in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Teddy bear. They appeared in the line in 1953 and 1954 in 22 and 50 cm. Four versions were made in a variety of hunting themed outfits. These "outdoorsmen" bears are a gentle nod back to President Roosevelt - who was instrumental in his own way in helping Steiff grow and thrive in the early 1900's. 

The headline on page 11 translates to "The Steiff factory is built entirely of glass" and is referencing the illustration that is found on page 12.

And here on page 12 you can see this glass factory. This feat of architecture is sometimes referred to the "1903 Building" because that's when it was built, or the "Maiden's Aquarium," because you could see from the outside of the building all of the beautiful seamstresses working inside. The headlines roughly translate to, "Steiff animals, the beloved toys of all children," "Only the best for our children," and "Steiff button in ear - adorable playmates." These statements, now over half a century old, still ring completely true today.

The final spread of the booklet, which includes pages 14 and 15, present a playful quartet of photos featuring company's now most iconic designs of the early 1950's. Most of these charmers were completely new post-war introductions. The items pictured are:

• A standing duck, made in 11 and 18 cm from 1952-76. 
• A grey elephant, made in 7, 10, 17, 22, and 35 cm from 1950-78.
• A Niki rabbit, made in 14, 17, 22, 28, and 35 cm from 1951-64.
• A Zotty Teddy, made in 9 sizes ranging from 17 to 100 cm from 1951-78.
• A young lying lion, produced in 17, 28, 43, and 60 cm from 1953-59.
• A Mecki hedgehog doll, produced from 1951 onward in 17, 28, 50, and 100 cm over time.
• A Papa lion, made in 14 and 22 cm from 1949-61.
• A Jocko, made in 9 sizes ranging from 10 to 80 cm from 1949-81.
• A Disney Bambi, made in 14 and 22 cm from 1951-1972.
• A Pucki dwarf, made in 13, 18, 30, 55, and 115 cm from 1963-73. 
• A Peky dog, made 8, 10, 14, and 22 cm from 1952-77.

Steiffgal hopes you enjoyed this quick time-travel adventure back to 1953!

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.